I've read the series but somehow, I missed this book in the series. This has to be one of my favorite series of all times. I love the idea of the hedgehogs being rescued and living their best life. Books that have animal rescue in them are for me. And the descriptions of the hedgehogs are so stinkin cute. I do wish there were books in the series, but I fully enjoyed it.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

Like a hot cup of tea on a drizzly afternoon, coming home to another installment of the “HedgeHog Hollows” series is a creature comfort - a warm and cozy settling into your bones, as you sink into your favorite chair and prepare to sip and read and catch up with old friends, family, and (for the most part) amiable and welcoming neighbors.

Lovely to read as a stand-alone novel, or perhaps even nicer when read as part of the series (as is the case with this reader, gleefully working away through the set), Book 3, while not straying too far from the path set in the previous two, has a bit of a different vibe.

Following the familiar pattern of two alternating first-person POV narrators telling our story, in “Family Secrets” the story shifts between Samantha Wishaw, our main protagonist in the series, and her reckless and impatient cousin, twenty-eight year-old Chloe Turner.

In this edition, (although we do catch up with Sam, her life and her hedgehog rescue center deep in the heart of Yorkshire), “ tantrums, crying babies, and secrets” take center stage of the story.

As we delve into Chloe’s world, the challenges of new marriage and the physical and emotional exhaustion that comes with new motherhood, (so recognizable to any parent), pave the way for trouble - compounded mercilessly as it becomes apparent that Chloe is wrestling with a terrible secret. A secret triggered suddenly and mysteriously, (and not revealed to the reader for a very long time), Chloe, now unable to escape from the “darkest moment of my life so far and the worst decision ever made”, battles a past that is threatening to up-end every emotional footing she has hoisted into place.

“You could run away from your past but you could never hide.”

With keen psychological insight, the author blends the emotional impact of Chloe’s past and the secret she bears; the stresses, challenges and struggles of both Sam and her mother with what may or may not be PTSD; one case of cancer recovery; another of ongoing cancer treatment; the ravages of parental estrangement; divorce; grief and the caustic bitterness of betrayal.

A genuine and totally engrossing mix of real-life, real problems, traumas and burdens, suffered by people who are doing their best, and no matter what coping behaviors (helpful or hurtful) are effected, managing to offer each other the kindness, compassion and lifeline, allowing, as Sam so succinctly puts it - “the lovely version of you, the real you ” - an opportunity to re-surface.

I love this series and loved this book.

A warm and comforting embrace of second chances, of letting go and moving on, and of, if not forgiveness, - a genuine understanding of what it means to be human, to be fallible, and yet to still be loved.

A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this wonderful book. All thoughts presented are my own.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

I have loved all of Jessica Redland's books and this series is particularly charming. Full of great characters, even if they do annoy you a bit at times, and always an emotional storyline that has you hooked from the beginning. This one can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the others in the series first if you can

This was a sweet read about relationships and secrets within the family. Jessica's writing had the feel good feeling where plenty of emotions were evoked, emphasizing on friendship and forgiveness.
Overall, all of her books are well recommended.

I love Jessica Redland books. Her stories are so believable and relatable. They are very well written. I liked thw characters in this although onw or two did get very annoying by the way they were acting... so they were written brilliantly as you liked not liking them!
All in all another great book by Jessica

when i started to read this book i asked were it was going and o my what a surprise as i read on it was such a good story line and carnt wait for next chapter in there lives will now have to read the first and second book in these series as the story lines are so good a good read

This was a really good read. Easy story to follow, charming setting and great characters. Really enjoyed it.

Engrossing, drama packed tale. This is a standalone book but is part of a series. I think I would have preferred reading the first two books before this as the previous books events are referred too quite often. However this book is full of drama. I felt slightly uncomfortable with the level of hostility from Chloe initially but as the plot unfolded it became more plausible. The emotions throughout are palpable. The setting is idyllic! The cliff hanger ending will definitely have you hooked.

Thank you Netgalley

I love these books, in fact I love all of Jessica Redlands books. I only discovered her this year and I've devoured so many of them already.
This is the third book in the Hedgehog Hollow series and I do think that this is a series here you benefit from having read all of the earlier books in the series.
Chloe is one of the most infuriating characters that I've come across in a long time. AS we learn her past situation in the book it becomes clear why she has issues and I felt sorry for her. Samantha, on the other hand, is a lovely character, I can't imagine being in her situation and having so many people descend on my tranquil rescue centre. Especially when she's trying to deal with her own issues.
Scarlet and Travis - what vile people, you do not need people like them in your life. I couldn't decide which of them I hated more; Scarlet for being such a self centred nasty b***h or Travis for being such a weak man.
I expected this to be a romance type novel but it really isn't, it's a novel about family and friendship - and hedgehogs!
My only annoyance with it is that it is a cliff-hanger ending, showing us there will be another book coming. I hate cliff hangers, I like closure at the end of my book. I did consult with my book group about this, and it would seem I'm the only person who feels quite strongly about this and for others cliffhangers seem to get them really excited that they know there's going to be another book in the series

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

An entertaining read and logical followup to the two previous books in this series, this book focuses primarily on Samantha's cousin, Chloe, and more than a bit on her mother, Debra. We get to see the true backstory of Chloe, giving us a better understanding of why she is, well, not a very nice person, especially when it comes to how she treats Samantha. While I did enjoy reading this book, I'm afraid I thought that Samantha was a bit too goodie-two-shoes and Chloe's behavior was still a bit too easily forgiven. Still, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out next year.

Jessica Redland writes uplifting novels about families, friendships and relationships that never fail to raise a smile and tug at the heartstrings and she is back with another poignant, emotional and feel-good new tale: Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow.

Running a rescue centre has been a long-held dream for Samantha for as long as she can remember. Having finally achieved her goal, Samantha now runs Hedgehog Hollow and is delighted that all of her plans have come to fruition. However, kind-hearted Samantha quickly realises that sometimes charity shouldn’t always begin at home – as she discovers to her detriment when she finds herself with a household full of guests who are all looking at her for support! Samantha cannot turn any of them away, yet she begins to wonder whether she might have bitten off more than she can chew when her cousin Chloe comes to the farm with her baby in tow having just left her husband, James.

Self-absorbed Chloe expects Samantha to pick up the slack and to look after her baby for her and while Samantha is always willing to lend a helping hand when needed, she has got her own problems to contend with. Not only is she juggling the demands of running her own rescue centre, but she has also got to cope with a plethora of family dramas and health issues that begin to weigh heavily upon her shoulders. As the best laid plans begin to go awry, long-buried secrets from the past begin to unravel and end up shaking the foundations of their entire world.

Will Samantha learn to put herself first? Will she find the peace and fulfillment she so desperately seeks? Or are there more shocking revelations round the corner which will ensure that life at Hedgehog Hollow will never be the same again?

Jessica Redland deftly blends poignancy and pathos with humour and charm in her latest novel, Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow. Jessica Redland has written an emotionally satisfying tale that ticks all the right boxes and that will keep readers turning the pages with a beguiling blend of family intrigue, heartfelt wit and touching romance. All the characters in Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow are so beautifully drawn that they will feel like old friends by the end of the novel.

A lovely read that readers cannot help but be completely charmed by, Jessica Redland’s Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow is a thoroughly enjoyable tale that you should not miss.

Oh my goodness! What a book! And what a series of book by Jessica Redland!!!! This one is the 3rd book in the series of the Hedgehog Hollow and even if the 1st and 2nd book were already very good, this 3rd one is in my opinion by far the best one! There was so much suspense and so much happening, we are discovering in this book a few huge family secrets that you won't even think about before they are revealed! This book is full of drama, so if you are looking for something light and with lots of fun, maybe it won't be the good book for you, but it's an excellent one that will keep you want to turn the next page!!! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!!!! I want to know more about this family! Also if you are a hedgehog love you will LOVE this book and this series, there are a lot of references to them! You won't be disappointed! 4 stars out of 5 for this book for me!

The book starts off from where book two finished, with the appearance of a family member we absolutely would not have expected to voluntarily drop by. Sam and Josh are now happily engaged and moving forward from past events, Josh’s Dad is still holding out for a miracle and Beth is recovering with two beautiful children by her side. The sanctuary isn’t only just filling up with hedgehogs at this point! Now grudges have been let go of and the family are able to adjust to their new lives together, we have the Queen of drama herself, make a delightful appearance – Sam’s cousin, Chloe. Despite Jessica’s outstanding writing talents, making every single one of her characters so extremely loveable, I definitely had my doubts with reading from the perspective of Chloe. Over the previous two books, Chloe had become my least favourite character within the main characters and her whiney attitude had me feeling nervous about her POV – however, we should always trust Jessica with the process, because what a story Chloe ended up having, wow! The flashback scenes to Chloe’s past ended up being my most favourite points of the story, craving to find out what happened in the end! By the end of the book, I found myself extremely emotional towards Chloe’s own emotional journey to recovery and was glad that, with the support of her family, she was able to find self-acceptance within herself and let go of a past that has held on to her for so long. Jessica pieced Chloe’s story together and now everything makes so much more sense. My whole perspective on her has done a complete 360 turn and I can’t wait to reunite with her again in the future.

Now, it’s time for all of the Samantha swooning – It’s safe to say that Samantha has had it rough and she is most certainly a woman who does not deserve half of the trauma she has had to endure, but she always come out as the fighter she is and continues to inspire me. After the amount of trauma that Samantha endured throughout the second book, the third book explores the aftermath of all that happened, highlighting largely on PTSD. Samantha begins to hallucinate and pass out quite regularly, as she carries the weight of the sanctuary on her shoulders, along with treating her home like a hotel, never allowing herself any alone time with Josh. There is nothing more I want to do than protect Samantha, Josh and the hedgehogs from everybody else, but Samantha will always be the most gorgeous woman and never leave anyone in trouble. It’s her strength and weakness! Along with feeling extremely emotional over Samantha’s struggles with PTSD, I found myself tearing up a lot around the scenes between Sam and her mother. There has been so much tension between these two from the very first book and it was the best thing to finally see some progression. I couldn’t imagine having such a strained relationship with my own mum and life is much too short to hold grudges. It was lovely to see her mum opening up to the sanctuary and allowing her interest and passion for hedgehogs to shine back through – I had so much faith in Samantha’s mum, that she wasn’t the bitter lady she was portraying and I’m so glad she proved me right. I knew she could be the mum she needed to be to Samantha and again, like Chloe, it was a matter of self-acceptance and allowing herself to let go of the past.

It was an absolute pleasure to be back amongst the stunning and vivid scenery of Hedgehog Hollow. I am always so in awe of the world Jessica has created, along with her characters. Everything and everyone shines through with such strong and admirable personalities, you end up feeling like you are there yourself and quite frankly, I wish I was! What I would give to be by Samantha’s side helping out with the Hedgehogs, feeling serene and at peace with the world! Although, it definitely doesn’t come without it’s drama and secrets. Especially where that ending is concerned, oh my goodness! Jessica has left us one big cliff-hanger and one that I was most definitely not expecting. I can’t believe we have to wait until January 2022 to see what happens, eek!

Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow is a story filled with love, family, drama, secrets, and friends with some unexpected twists and turns, that will have you smiling from cheek to cheek, welling up with tears from every type of emotion and gasping in suspense and surprise. I’m so excited to return to this gorgeous set of characters in 2022 for ‘A Wedding at Hedgehog Hollow’ and have all the faith that this time round, everything will fall perfectly in to place for our beloved Samantha. There’s no question that Jessica is really making us work hard for a happily ever after, bring it on book four!

Samantha (Sam) Wishaw is the proud owner of Hedgehog Hollow, a hedgehog rescue centre located in the Yorkshire Wolds. Managing the rescue centre which is tremendously busy with new influxes of hedgehogs and hoglets is hard work and Sam has given up her full-time job at the local university, though she has her fiancé, Josh Alderson, willing to lend a hand. However, life for her is about to be turned upside down when her sister, Chloe unexpectedly shows up with her baby, Samuel and won't explain why she has left her husband, James.

Although Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow is the third in a series, it is complete in itself so you can dive in here should you wish to. In a story written in alternating viewpoints from both Sam and Chloe, I got to know Chloe very quickly and continued to warm to Sam who showed how big-hearted she is, even whilst struggling with her own challenges. Chloe has some extremely personal and difficult issues that are slowly revealed.

In her compelling tale, Jessica Redland realistically portrays complicated and painful family relationships and I adored the author's descriptions of the charming setting. Along with the (mostly!) pleasing characters and dashes of romance, I really enjoyed the snippets of information about hedgehogs. In a tale that was all about families, friendships, kindness and unpleasantness, forgiveness and general life, there were dramatic moments as well as touching scenes. All in all, Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow is a lovely, heartwarming, as well as an emotional novel that I have no hesitation in recommending. I look forward to reading more from Jessica Redland.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This was a tough read (emotionally), but we finally find out more about Chloe’s past and now she’s ended up so bitter. It turns out to be quite a sad story. I’m glad to find Chloe and Sam close again, even if Sam is still a bit of a doormat overall. She means well, I just wish she didn’t let everyone walk all over her.

Looking forward to the next book.

Oh Jessica, you have done it again with this fantastic novel, you get better and better with each book that you produce. I can't praise this high enough, from the very first page to the last. Can't wait for the next book in this series. Worth well over 5 stars and I highly recommend this and not just to the fans of Jessica Redland. Grab a copy as soon as possible.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

An intriguing sounding story with great characters. Set in an idyllic location. The perfect summer read.

I love Jessica Redlands books so much, each one is devoured at speed (like inhaling amazing cake to me) and sad when they end , but left feeling so satisfied. It’s the third in a series, you can get away with reading as a stand-alone but why would you want to, when you could read the previous two beautiful books by Jessica , I seriously recommend reading them all, I adore this series. I was thrown by the cliffhanger ending, but seeing the upside it means there’s more books to come. Highly and thoroughly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow is the third book centred around Samantha Wishaw, her family, friends and a gorgeous hedgehog sanctuary. I suppose some might say you could read the books on their own. However, I honestly believe the true enjoyment of these novels lies in understanding the characters and having their backstories in your mind. My suggestion: Read these books in order!

While Book 1 was exclusively about Sam and how she built herself back up from her lowest point and then was able to welcome love back into her life through meeting Thomas (a surrogate grandfather) and then Josh (the man of her dreams), Book 2 took us more into Josh’s life and how he ended up in a place where he could be happy once again. Book 3 forces us to look deeper into the life of Samantha’s cousin, Chloe, and what a story there’s to be told!

In terms of drama and suspense, Jessica nails it with Chloe’s tale. Readers are teased with juicy bits of her past only to be yanked back into the present. There’s also the changing perspectives from Chloe to Samantha to keep you on your toes. As much as Chloe’s story is juicy, this is really Sam’s show and I loved her chapters especially as we get to see how her relationship with Josh is progressing and how the work of the hedgehog rescue is expanding. This is partly why I think it’s important to read the books in order. Sam’s challenges in this story are directly related to events that happened in past stories. There is no one major challenge she has to cope with in this novel but rather several smaller issues that collide. Her support system is fully in place and we have a chance to catch up with some favourites from past books as well.

I loved seeing old favourites, but Chloe and Samantha’s mother are anything but! In fact, I thought this author was rather brave to deliver a book based a very unlikeable character. But Jessica is a brilliant writer and even with no love to spare for Chloe, I could not help but be drawn into her story. Chloe is so complex and her many layers are not just peeled away but ripped off, one by one, until readers see her quite plainly for who and what she is. Once we’re down to the bare bones, it’s time for us to see her grow and develop into a far better version than the person we met at the start of the Hedgehog Hollow series.

Know what, though? I still don’t like Chloe. Lol. But I loved how she was written and I love how Jessica Redland made me so invested in Sam and her life that I still wanted to know about her spoilt cousin.

Despite not liking a central character in the story, I found this story to be very emotional as so many very poignant themes are covered including postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress and parental neglect, to name a few. Yet, there’s also a beautiful side to the tale as perseverance, hope and love do conquer after all.

Quick warning for those who aren’t keen on cliffhangers. There is one. But you were planning to read the next one anyway, so no worries 😉 Besides, all the threads of this particular story are tied up by the end.

Another heartwarming delight by Jessica Redland. I really can’t get enough of this author or Hedgehog Hollow! I give Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow 5/5 espresso shots.